November 2011 Archives

November 7, 2011

Marketing is marketing whether it is online or offline. Almost anyone will tell you that as a customer they should trust and have confidence in your business apart from meet their immediate need to buy your product or service.

But there’s more if you want a successful internet business, as understanding the five levels of a successful internet marketing strategy should serve any businessman in good stead.

So here how’s you generate a larger number of sales for your internet business:

#1: Finding the “right” buyers for your products or service

If you know what your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is, chances are you’ll find the right buyers for your product or service. Using the right type of internet advertising methods based on your USP, you’ll find the right customers visiting your website. After that, it’s up to you as to how you’ll convert their interest into sales.

#2: Building trust and credibility with the prospective customer

This is where the design of your website comes into play as it should come across as a professional site which can then gain the credibility and trust of the customer. Get feedback from clients and employees if you must.

#3: Guiding the buyer to what they need on your site

Once the customer is at the landing page of your website, it should be easy for him or her to navigate through the site to find the product that he or she is interested in. The easier it is, the more likely your profits will increase.

#4: Presenting the Product or Service

This step really differs from business to business but what you should keep in mind is that you maintain their interest throughout this stage.

#5: Closing the Sale

Be clear about how the customer should make the purchase while also offering a guarantee and assurance for your product or service.

More and more businesses and creative thinkers are building their own phone applications without the help of a professional service. Apps are one of the biggest business growing trends in cellphone technology. If you have a small business or are working on a project of your own, it may be impossible to spend thousands of dollars to hire a service. With today’s online resources, this does not have to be an issue. There are a number of fantastic tools to help you create and build your own application for less than half the cost of hiring a professional.

There are some amazing online tools that can produce and publish strong applications for the public. Application building doesn’t have to be difficult. With the new online tools that are available just about anyone with a creative brain can make their own application. Doing all the technical work for you, these tools can do all the programming, and coding necessary to have a successful and competitive app. Most of these tools take your content online and integrate it into an application. With your creative vision, they can make it work perfectly with easy user functionality and looking incredibly stylish.

The top choice for many novice application builders is Appmakr. This online tool is great for any company that already has an established web site, or blog. It will take your online feed, design and color choices, and begin to build your application. Swebapps is one of the easiest online tools to use. In a very simple and straightforward way, you perform drag and drop steps to create your app content. This tool allows you to track your analytics as well as make changes to your app even after it has been published. Other great tools are Taplynx, and iSites. Both are similar in that you they integrate your social media and website feeds right into your app.

An important aspect after building your app is mobile application testing. You will want your application to have a number of tests done including a load test. If you have any money to spend on the production of your application, this would be a great area to spend it. By having comprehensive tests done by professionals you will ensure the success of your app. Before you decide to make it public, you will want to know that it works properly.

The world of cellphone applications is continuously growing. Businesses everywhere are jumping in on the trend as a way to market their company and reach consumers. If you are a creative person like a game designer, your application may need a bit more professional help. If you are on a small budget these online tools is a great way to go. You can be a part of a new and profitable industry just in a few easy steps. With performance application testing and a creative vision you can have something that users will love and download, over and over again.

November 15, 2011

The number one rule in social media is for businesses to mind their manners. Yes, that’s right! It’s not about pushing their products or services using this medium right away.

No, there’s no getting rich quick using social media but instead it is a tool that you use to interact with customers to build relationships and offer them your products or services in the near future – politely.

As most experienced companies would know – it doesn’t happen immediately. Taking a hurried approach will only ensure that the organization gets ‘negative publicity’, whether a large or small business.

So here are some social media no no’s that business should be careful to avoid:

#1: Interact and get to know others

It’s not just about your products or services. More importantly, social media should be used to get to know others through interaction. Not just a medium which you use to push your product or services. This won’t work – not now, not ever.

#2: No Spamming. Period

Just because we have to get through spam in our email inboxes that doesn’t mean that it is permissible especially with social media. Don’t even try it using social media or else you’ll be out of the game in no time.

#3: Inconsistency won’t get you anywhere

You have to be a regular participant when using social media. Logging in once a week or month just won’t do. That is why it is important to hire a consultant or dedicate resources for this.

#4: Avoid being a know-it-all

Having the willingness to learn from others can be a big plus. Snobbery won’t work in this medium – not for one bit, especially when feedback comes from your customers.

#5: Following no one

If you want to be followed, you’ll have to do the same. There’s no other way, and not doing so, defeats the purpose.

November 17, 2011

Ripoffreport.com is not just any consumer complaint website; it ranks high in major search engine results for any given brand or company mentioned on the site. In other words, if your business is listed on Ripoffreport.com, everyone can see. More importantly, if your business is listed on Ripoffreport.com, it can shatter your success and how consumers view your company.

Reputation management is nothing new; business owners have had to deal with this aspect of running a business long before the internet was introduced. However, the web has a way of bombarding consumers with a wealth of information, including negative critiques, which is then replicated by algorithms and search engines, and spread as quickly as the Black Death plague. Consequently, it is nearly impossible for business owners to manage their online reputations without the help of professional online reputation management firms.

If you’ve researched online reputation management, you know that it is impossible to remove a negative review on Ripoffreport.com and other similar sites. But hope exists for businesses listed on Ripoffreport.com; there are several ways to bury the negative content to the second or third page of search engine results, and potentially repair your online reputation in the process.

One way to combat negative online reviews, for example, is to create a lot of social media profiles and be active on them. Often times Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and other social media profiles will rank highly for a given brand or comapny name. There are hundreds of smaller social media sites that can help as well, such as Hi5, Flickr, Digg, Stumbleupon and more. Creating profiles on these sites maunually could be a daunting task, which could take hours, if not days. Fortunatly, there is a service out there that you can use, if you do not want to do this yourself. iClimber’s Social Profile Creation service would create up to 300 social media profiles for you.

While it will remove Ripoff Report listing per se, an optimized social media profile can improve your online reputation by ranking higher than the negative feedback on sites like Ripoffreport.com.

Ripoffreport.com can be disastrous for your business. While you may not have the power to avoid negative reviews online, you can take the steps to protect your online reputation by bringing in professional help.

November 22, 2011

Almost every content writing guru will tell you that it’s all about keeping your readers interested. Since there are so many blogs that offer competitive content, it becomes important for writers to learn how to keep readers coming back for more.

So here are a few content writing tips that can help you do just that:

#1: Know your stuff

Boring your readers to death or not making sense is probably the first thing that you need to avoid as this will only drive them away from your blog. Instead, if you can not only entertain them but provide them with answers that they were looking for, you can be sure that they will come back.

#2: Be an engaging storyteller

People love stories. Again, don’t make this a boring affair. Make it compelling, suspenseful and creative. This should be apparent in the words that you use. Use words that are unique and not clichéd. Imagine yourself to be in a position where you are telling a story to a child with all the frills and thrills.

#3: A Killer Headline & an interesting first paragraph

These two elements are probably the most important aspects of any good content writing piece. Most readers will be either very interested or not at all when reading your headline. After that, it’s the introductory paragraph that will decide whether they’re going to read the entire blog or article.

#4: Use the “To be Continued” tag, if necessary

Using this tag makes your readers come back for more. This is just one of those tricks that will help keep the viewership to your blog. It can be likened to the episodes of a sitcom where this phrase is used most commonly.

November 29, 2011

There are certain rules that every writer must adhere to when it comes to the broad area of content writing. No, this has nothing to do with search engine optimization but has more to do with the art of writing itself long before the internet found prominence in our lives.

So here are some tips that any writer can use to write effectively, regardless of what he or she writes:

#1: Read other people’s work

One of the best tips that one can get as a writer is to read, read and read some more. There’s always something you can learn from what they’ve written whether factually or as a writer. Very simply, the more you read, the better your vocabulary and grammar gets, and the same goes for speaking as well.

#2: Keep them guessing

When you build a feeling of suspense around your story, the reader can’t wait to get to the next paragraph. Breaking up your story into different articles or blogs is not such a bad idea too.

#3: Avoid repeating words & sentences

This, for all practical purposes, is plain irritating. Imagine yourself as the reader who keeps finding one word or sentence repeated (not for effect like some established writers use it for) throughout the article or blog. Once or twice is fine but not more than that!

#4: Humor

Be funny. Readers love articles or blogs that make them grin and laugh. Most people (read as: your readers) will remember how you made them feel. And they’ll come back for more.